What bitrates are your MP3s encoded at?

[T10-User]

Is there really a difference in terms of the quality at like 128kbs and 192kbs?

[CrowdAds]

[garyk]

Anything from 128 to 320, depends whats available to download. I try and stick to the highest ones when i can though.

[robjrock]

256kbit usually, for Mp3s I've ripped myself.

I have a minimum for 224kbit for other mp3s except for the occasional album.

Anyone use WMAs? Do they ever end up smaller than VBR Mp3s?

[Enigmatic]

Originally Posted by T10-User

Is there really a difference in terms of the quality at like 128kbs and 192kbs?

There is only one way to find out: http://wiki.hydrogenaudio.org/index.php?title=ABX.

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by robjrock

256kbit usually, for Mp3s I've ripped myself.

I have a minimum for 224kbit for other mp3s except for the occasional album.

Anyone use WMAs? Do they ever end up smaller than VBR Mp3s?

With Windows Media Player 11, there is a WMA VBR setting, that lets you choose target bitrate range. I have used them, before I got a better ripping program, and they seem to work pretty well, at least for portable use.

But now that I've gone LAME(3.98.2, vbr-new,V0), I'm sticking with it, unless I transcode a FLAC to Ogg Vorbis Q7. My old rips with the WMA VBR can stay that way, they're the old CD's that are occasionally listened to anyways...no way in hell I'm re-ripping them all again.

[T10-User]

I've heard also that the higher the kbs, the more battery power you use up?
anyone notice this?

[Enigmatic]

Originally Posted by T10-User

I've heard also that the higher the kbs, the more battery power you use up?
anyone notice this?

Yes. For example, http://www.sonyinsider.com/2008/08/1...aland-website/.

[robjrock]

Originally Posted by T10-User

I've heard also that the higher the kbs, the more battery power you use up?
anyone notice this?

Yep, it has to process more data (bigger file size) for the same amount of time (song length) - which is my I use 256 and not 320.

Samsung P3 is a pretty high spec player, you should be able to notice the difference with low bitrate MP3s assuming your headphones are decent. But it will never be a night and day kind of difference.

[Dreamnine]

For downloaded stuff it's mostly 256- an occasional 160 or 320. CDs I've ripped are 256mp3 with a couple of albums wma vbr and a couple in Ogg.
I could probably fit more songs on my Clip but I can't be ar5ed re-ripping. 1000 songs is more than enough to be going on with.

[T10-User]

wow so since the P3 is supposably 30 hours of audio, mp3s encoded at 256 or higher
shud get a lot less hours?

i encode mine @ 192 and i dont think i get 30 hours

[gebal]

@t10-user
Enzo used to say in his reviews what bitrate the battery life was tested at, but I've checked his review and the samsung website and they dont say anything about what bitrate it was tested at. I think normally its tested at 128kbs though, as thats the bitrate samsung use to show how many songs the player could hold

and my collection is a mix of 320 (about 20% of my libary), some 256 (another 12ish% ) about another 35% or so at 196 and then the rest is random sizes, though never less than 128. Although I find the problem with trying to listen to emerging bands is that they tend to release songs at fairly low quality and only online, so its only the CDs I've bought that are at 320

[Leroy Bad]

Don't forget the encoder you use also makes a difference. For example an MP3 encoded with Xing will sound different (worse) than an MP3 enocoded with Lame 3.78 at the same bitrate.

Haveing said that, when it comes to MP3s I encode with Lame 3.78 using the V0 preset.

[greeny]

Most songs on my old ZEN are 128kbps, but I can't be bothered to change them all to 320kbps which I'm using when ripping CDs.

[Detroit]

Originally Posted by Leroy Bad

when it comes to MP3s I encode with Lame 3.78 using the V0 preset.

From now on this is what I do, if it's not FLAC. I haven't really known much about lossy quality in the past. Most of my music is 320 (some converted from lower bit rates) because I followed some incorrect logic/info.

[xrM]

192kbps on most albums, 320kbps on albums I really like.
I can't stand 128kbps..

[Facade19]

It all depends on what the genre is.
I usually rip in 192kbps in MP3, AAC or Ogg Vorbigs. Sometimes 320kpbs MP3 or FLAC. When downloading usually 256kbps.

[robjrock]

I've always felt 256kbit is a pretty safe compromise on space vs quality vs battery life etc.

30 hours for audio is ipushing it, get used to getting less than advertised play back times on your MP3 players. Its not just samsung, its pretty much everyone. They test them under unrealistic conditions: 128kbit without using the screen playing continuously, or whatever.

[Dreamnine]

I'm lucky if I get 20 hours- even without touching the screen.

[lebellium]

Originally Posted by gebal

@t10-user
Enzo used to say in his reviews what bitrate the battery life was tested at, but I've checked his review and the samsung website and they dont say anything about what bitrate it was tested at. I think normally its tested at 128kbs though, as thats the bitrate samsung use to show how many songs the player could hold

It's written in the user manual:
30hrs max (mp3 128kbps, volume: 15, Normal Sound Mode, LCD Off)

[daimonster]

320kbps all the way, every song i have is ripped out of my own CDs